Rodents and their control have been a source of constant problem for mankind throughout the ages. From folk tale through contemporary literature these pests have been rightly depicted as a health hazard and a destroyer of food and harborage, competing with mankind for space and food.
During the past few years a realization that poisoning represented the most effective method of large scale rodent reduction has led to the introduction of several new and innovative devices for the safe containment of the poisoned substances that were formulated to kill rodents as they fed.
The use of poison impregnated powders to deliver the toxin to a rodent as it passed over the powders and then fed were also developed and widely used.
However, as the rodents developed a resistance to various "first generation" baits, the toxicity of the poisons increased until, they not only represented a hazard to the rodents but, the potential for damage to humans, pets and wildlife increased dramatically.
The problem of safe containment and the delivery of these poisoned substances in a manner that isolated them from the environment became of considerable interest as the toxicity of baits to non target species increased and, toward this end, several devices were developed and patented.
Indicative of these devices are the U.S. Patents granted under the following numbers; U.S. Pat. Nos. 43/131-4,132,026-1/1979-Dodds . . . 43/131-4,161,079 7/1979-Hill . . . 43/131-4,281,471-Jenkins . . . 43/131-4,349,981-9/1981-Sherman . . . 43/131-4,031,653-6/1977-Jordan . . . 43/131-4,349,982-9/1982 Sherman . . . 43/131-4,400,904-8/1983-Baker . . . 43/131-4,541,198-9/1985 Sherman . . . 43/131-4,648,201-3/1987-Sherman. Foreign Pat. Nos. 6617388 5/1968 Netherlands, 43/131 . . . 2111022-9/1972 Federal Republic of Germany, 43/131.
Although these devices represented a quantum leap forward in the safe containment and delivery of poisoned baits, they were defective in that they depended on the introduction of a free and independent bait source that attracted the rodent to feed or, as in the case of the Sherman patent 4,349,981, depended upon the introduction of a poisoned powder that could be shaken loose from the container if it were tipped.
An object of the present art is to provide the user with a device that has as part of its construction an enclosed wick, coated with a poisoned substance, that has been deeply impregnated into the material. By providing a limited space for the rodent to pass through the wick containment area the rodent is forced into tight contact with the poison impregnated material, thereby squeezing enough material onto the rodents coat to insure that as it preens and cleans itself, it will ingest a lethal dose of the toxicant.
Still another object of the instant invention is to isolate the wick and its containment area in such a manner to preclude the possibility of it being touched by children and non-target species.
Further, the instant invention provides a passageway that conforms to the patterns of behavior of an active rodent population by presenting a tight harborage that forms a channel along a wall, similiar to the tight spaces that rodents run and hide in.
A further object of the invention is to provide a form of containment for the wick that can be positioned within the device for the most effective dispersion of the poisoned substance contained in the wick for the most effective delivery to the target rodent.
Although the art depicts the invention as an improvement on the Sherman Pat. No. 4,648,201 by placing the wick and wick containment structure in a triangular tunnel structure with baffled ends as claimed in the said Sherman patent, the invention is meant to stand on its own based upon its unique merits and design.
The totality of the invention is based upon it the ability to place and isolate the wick and wick containment structure in a manner that prevents contact in an unintended manner while forcing the target rodent to traverse the wick containment structure in order to pass through the device and exit the opposing end.
The aforementioned objectives are all achieved in the instant invention and these and other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent when considered with the following description and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The scope and teachings of the invention contained herein are not limited to the drawings but carry forward to all rodenticide delivery systems that contain a solution, impregnated into a wick and delivered to a target species by forcing said target species into a tight enclosure thereby delivering a dose of toxicant directly onto the coat of the animal.